OpenAI and Figure show Figure 01, a robot that sees, talks and performs tasks

In development since May 2023, the humanoid (Figure 01 received an update on creation progress that may scare more skeptical people. The humanoid robot OpenAI Now he can see and also explain what is in front of him, in addition to picking up objects. Everything autonomously and without the help of a human. Check out the details and what to expect from it.

The startup Figure

Founded in 2021 and with a current market value that exceeds US $ 2 billion, the company is focused on developing humanoid robots for the most diverse tasks: from working in factories, in logistics activities, to serving the public. Only in its initial round of investment, led by Parkway Venture Capital, AI figures managed to accumulate US$70 million.

In January 2024, the company signed an agreement with BMW to put his object-handling robot to work at the car company's factory located in North Carolina, USA. Brett Adcock, founder of figure AI, cited that “the company is currently GPT-chat“, indicating that a new discovery that will change the technology industry will happen soon.

A startup AI figures is receiving support from companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, NVIDIA and more. Analyst data indicate that the ecosystem sent a contribution of US$95 million, while the investment of OpenAI for humanoid robots it is US$5 million. Speaking of NVIDIA, the company injected US$50 million.

A fund affiliated with  Amazon put another US$50 million into figure and beyond that, Jeff Bezos, current owner of  Amazon, sent another US$100 million to help develop new technologies. And it doesn't stop there: other companies like Intel, LG Innotek, Parkway Venture Capital, Align Ventures, ARK Venture Fund, Aliya Capital Partners e tamarack they should also invest in the development of humanoid robots.

Figure 01 Capabilities

The latest update states that he is 1,70 m tall and weighs 60 kg. His body is all metallic and his face has no details. It's as if he's wearing a helmet that covers his entire face. It is focused to carry out work that is dangerous and unsuitable for humans and should also help with labor shortages.

To understand everything he sees, there is a visual language model that has integrated cameras. See this example:

Among the activities he has already carried out, he learned how to make coffee just by watching a human being. Its battery has the autonomy to work for five hours and it also moves at 1,2 meters per second. It also moves autonomously and performs daily activities. Watch the video of him making coffee:

What to expect from future versions?

Once the company has completed fundraising, it will continue developing its new robot so that it reaches the market. How did you form a partnership with BMW, the Figure 1 is likely to arrive at the car company's factories first. We can also expect the launch of a robot that sees with integrated ChatGPT, something that would help people with various tasks.

The biggest objective of Brett Adcock is being able to train an artificial intelligence system to control millions of humanoid robots, working at the same time and in different sectors. As it works autonomously, it is expected that the first release can be integrated into several spaces at the same time once it is fully developed.

More news including artificial intelligence and robotics should be released in the future, but it is expected that these humanoid robots will reach different parts of our daily lives, even more so in tasks that can pose a high risk to humans.

Watch Video

Available on Figure startup channel on March 13, 2024, the founder Brett Adcock appears in the video next to the robot that manipulates objects. The most impressive part is that he manages to explain why he gave the apple to Brett while placing objects in a basket.

In another video, Figure appears working in a factory, taking a box from one point to another. Of course, compared to a human, Figure's current speed is still low, but just the fact that it works with complete autonomy is an important advance. Watch:

Would you use a robot like this in your daily life, so you can dedicate yourself to more complex activities? Tell us Comment!

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With information: Mehza Media l Mashable

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim